John a



(No Model.)

- J. A. RIEPER. BOWLING ALLEIY. No. 543,141. Patented July 28,1895.

Witnesses: MM //z @JM/f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. EIEPEE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BOWLING-ALLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent N0. 543,141, dated July 23,1895.

l Application led December 5, 1894. Serial No. 530,872. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. RIEPER, of New York city, New York, haveinvented an Improved Bowling-Alley, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a bowling-alley composed'ofrportable sectionsthat may be readily fitted together and'leveled. Thus the bowling-alleymay be put up in a short time and without the great care and expensenecessary to build the usual permanent alleys.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side view of my improvedbowling-alley with the gutter partially broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan ofthe alley with one of the gutters partly removed; Fig. 3, a perspectiveview of 'a joint between two adjoining sections; Fig. 4, an end view ofone of the sections; Fig. 5, a longitudinal section on line 5, Fig. 4;andFig 6, a similar section on line 6, 6, Fig. 4.

My improved bowlingalley is composed of a series of portable sections AB C D, doc., each made of convenient length and all adaptedto be soiitted together that when connected they form a continuous alley ofproper length. Each section is composed, essentially, of a foundation, asuperposed bed, and transverse end girders that are adapted to interlockwith the end girders ofthe adjoining sections.

The foundation is composed of two or more These free ends of the girdersare perforated for the reception of screw-bolts e, that engage tappeddoor-plates e', let into or supported upon the floor of the building.Nuts e2 es,

carried by the screw-bolts, serve to respectr ively support the girderand to relieve the lower end of the bolt from strain. The two girders cd, secured to the adjacent ends of every two adjoining sections, are ofslightlydifferent construction and are so made as to form. a lock-jointbetween them.

Each girder is provided with a horizontal top flange and a horizontalbottom flange to form, in effect, a V-beam adapted for the reception ofthe reduced ends of beams a. The girders are attached to the beams bythe screw-bolts f, Fig. 5, that pass through a longitudinal bore of thebeams and are held in place by 4nuts f secured within mortises a3. Thegirder c is provided on its top flange with a nose c', which is set backfrom the edge of the girder and has an undercut outer'edge c2.

The girder d is provided on its top flange with a nose d', whichprojects outwardly beyond the edge of the girder and has a beveled outeredge d2. When the two sections A B are put together, the nose d willproject over the top iiange of girder c, Fig. 6, and enter beneath thebeveled edge c2 of nose c. Inv this'way the girders c d are interlockedin such a way that any vertical motion of one girder will be transmittedto the other girder,--/"Jl and thus the girders will always maintainprecisely the same level. That this is of the utmost importance at thejoint between the sec-v tions A B is evident.

To prevent any possible displacement, the girders o d may be connectedby screws g at their outwardly-projecting ends.

In order to level the alley, the nuts e2 eare slackened, the bolts eraised or lowered, and then the nuts are again tightened, when the alleywill be securely supported and connect` ed in all its parts.

To increase the stability of the structure,

the cross-beams a should be supported atv their free ends by additionalscrew-bolts h, placed at suitable distances apart and engaging thetapped Hoor-plates h.

At the sides of the alley I secure to the iioor of the building thelongitudinal gutter-rails i, having an offset to support the outer edgeofthe gutterboards, the inner edge of which is supported upon theprojecting ends of the girders c d. j

It will be seen that my improved bowlingalley presents a compactstructure, which may be readily put up or knocked down, and whichlocking laterally projecting end girders, floor plates, and screw boltsthat secure the girders to the floor plates, substantially as specified.

4. The combination in a bowling alley of the following elements:foundation beams, floor boards supported thereby, laterally pro jecting'interlocking girders, screw bolts engaging the girders, floor platesengaged by the screw bolts, and gutters that are supported by the freeends of the girders, substantially as specified.

J. A. RIEPER.

Witnesses:

F. V. BRIESEN, THEoDoRE BECKER.

